Four-year-old Xiguang, or “Big Brother,” was among a group of six elephants that had been used by illegal traders along the China-Myanmar border beginning in March 2005.

Xiguang apparently was so unruly that the smugglers fed him bananas coated with heroin to keep him under control.

After being rescued two months later, Xiguang and three others were sent to an animal protection center on Hainan Island for rehabilitation.

The bull elephant continuously cried and made trumpeting noises after his doses of heroin were no longer available, the Beijing News reports.

Veterinarians helped Xiguang go through withdrawal during a three-year treatment that included methadone injections that were five times stronger than those used in humans.

Despite being cured of his addiction, animal experts determined that Xiguang’s habits and body odors had changed to the point where he will have to remain in wildlife parks for the rest of his life.

Photo: Wild Elephant Ravine - Yunnan Province